Cable-slitting device



Oct. 2, 1928.

e. 1'. STOTT CABLE SLITTING DEVICE ,4 TTOR/VE 84 Filed April 14, 1927 Patented Oct. 2, 1928.,

UNITED srarss PATENT OFFICE.

onovnn r. 's'ro'rr, or srnmormn'n, OHIO, Assumes. or own-Hetero noscon 0.,

SNIDER, or smmermnn, 01110.

earns-Sunnis nnvrcn.

Application filed April 14, 1927; Serial no. leases.

This invention relates to cable slitting devices and is designed for slitting the wrappings of an electric cable lengthwise to permit access to be had to the conductor contained within said wrappings.

There is now in extensive use a form of electric cable which is oblong in cross section and in which are arranged two parallel con- .nection may be established. It has been customary to s lit such a cable between the two conductors y the use of a pocket knife but this is rather a slow diflicult operation and, further, it is very diilicult to so guide the knife blade as to avoid cutting the insulating wrappings on the individual conductors. or even cutting the conductors themselves. 1 The insulation on the individual conductors is spirally wound and when this remains intact t e insulation may be quickly and easily removed by grasping the ends of the spiral windings and unwinding the same. If the insulating wrappings have been broken in one or more places the individual pieces must be separately removed, which involves a loss of time. It is therefore desirable that the insulating wrappings on the individual conduc tors should remain intact. One object ofthe present invention is to provide a simple 'efliclent device for slitting the wrappings of an electric cable lengthwise to permit access to be had to the confductor contained within said wrappings.

A further object ofthe invention 1s to provide such a device which will slit the wrappings of the cable between two conductors contained therein without breaking theinsulating wrappings on the individual conductors.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a device which willslit the opposite I sides of the cable wrappings simultaneousliy so as to completely separate the two indivi ual conductors at a single operation.

A. further object of the inventlon 1s to provide such a device which will be simple and compact in its arrangement, of light weight and of such a character that it can be easily manipulated. 1

Other objects of the invention will appear as the device is described in detail.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of a'device embodying my invention Fig. 2' is a side elevation of the same, partly broken away; Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a 1perspective view of p the end portion of a cab and Fig. 6 is a.

similar view showing the cable after ithas;

been slitted.

In these drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of m invention but it will be understood that t is particular embodiment has been chosen for the purposes of illustration only and that the device may take various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The device preferably comprises two members movably connected one to the other, one or both of said members having therewith a cutter blade and sald members being so arranged that they will guide a cable in the direction of its length and in contact with said cutter or cutters. It will be obvious that the manner of connecting the two members and the arrangement of the cutters and guide may take various forms.

connected In that particular embodiment here illustrated the device comprises two elongated members 10 and 11 which are pivotally connected one to the other near one end of the device.- As here shown, one of the members, 11,

'hasnear its forward end upwardly extending cars 12 between which the adjacent end of the other member, 10, extends and to which it is connected by means of a pivot pin-13. The opposite end portions of the two members are shaped to form handles and may, if de sired, have their end portions turned outwardly, as shown at 14, to provide for a firm ull- 1ng grip on the device. The forward en s of the two members, between the cars 12, are

spaced apart, as shown in Fig. 2, to provide a space through which the end of a cable may be inserted and the opposed portions of the'two members in the rear of sald ears have longi-.

tudinal grooves 15 which cooperate to form a iuldeway into which the end portion of the ca 1e may be inserted and in which it may have movement in the direction of its length. The grooves are of such shape that a cable oblong in cross section, may be supported in the guideway in a horizontal position. Mounted on each member of the device is a cutter 16 arranged in a plane parallel with and extending into the respective grooves 15. In the present instance, each member has a slot 17 in which the cutters are mounted, the cutters being here illustrated in the form of rotatable disks carried by pins 18 mounted in the respective members. If desired, the axes of the two blades may be arranged in different planes so that the blades will not be directly in line one with the other.

In using the device the operator grasps the handle portion thereof with one hand and manipulates the twomembers to separate the blades and then, with his other hand, inserts into the guidew ay, between the blades, the end portion of the cable, the cable being inserted in the guideway a distance corresponding to the length of the portion thereof which is to be slit. The two members are then moved one toward the other to cause the blades to engage the opposite sides of the cable, the arrangement being such that the blades will engage the cable substantially midway between the lateral edges thereof. When the blades have been forced into the wrappings of the cable the cable is moved lengthwise of the device to withdraw it from the guideway and as it is withdrawn the wrapping will be slit on both sides, as shown in Fig. 6. Ordinarily in this operation the cable will be grasped in one hand and the slitting device in the other and movement will be imparted to both the cable and the slitting device. It will' be obvious, however, that either the cable or the slitting device may be held against longitudinal movement and the other part may be moved with relation thereto, it being only necessary that the cable and the cutters should have relative miiiement in the direction of the length of the ea c.

may occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having now fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a cable slitting device, two members pivotally connected one to the other on an axis transverse to their length and having opposed portions provided with longitudinal grooves to form a guideway for a cable, cutters carried by the respective members and extending into said grooves, said members having parts forming handles by means of which one of said cutters may be moved toward and from the other.

2. In a cable slitting device, two elongated members pivotally connected one to the other on an axis transverse to their length and near one end of said device and having parts near the other end of said device to form handles, said members having parts extending lengthwise thereof and cooperating to guide a cable in the directionof its length, each of said members having a slot, and cutters rotatably mounted in the respective slots and arranged to engage a cable when the latter is moved lengthwise of said device.

3. In a cable slitting device, two elongated members arranged substantially parallel one with the other, ears carried by one of said.

members near one end thereof, means for piv-' otally mounting the adjacent end of the other member between said ears, said ends of said members being spaced apart between said ears, said members having longitudinal grooves in the opposed portions thereof to form a guideway to receive a cable and having slots oiening into said grooves, and cut-' ters rotata ly mounted in the respective slots and extendin into said grooves.

4. In a cab e slitting device, two elongated members pivotally connected one to the other on an axis transverse to the length thereof and arranged to provide a passageway for a cable between the pivot-ally connected portions thereof, said members having portions forming handles, one of said members having a port-ion shaped to form a guideway for the cable in line with said passageway, and a cutter carried by the other of said members and arranged to engage a cable in said guideway and slit the same when said cable is moved lengthwise in said guideway.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature hereto.

- eaovna T. STOTTI. 

